WhatsApp introduces optional parental controls for teenagers

WhatsApp is introducing new parental controls for teenagers, as tech companies continue to come under pressure to provide more age-appropriate experiences for children.

The social messaging app's new tools will give parents a range of options, such as being told when their child joins or leaves a group. It will also let them decide on privacy settings for their account.

In a blog post, WhatsApp, clarified parents would not be given the power to see the messages their teen is sending and receiving, which along with calls would stay private and protected by end-to-end encryption.

And it said the controls were optional, which social media analyst Matt Navarra called an "obvious weakness".

He said the move was "fairly convenient" for Meta, which owns WhatsApp, because it reduced the company's reliance on age verification by putting some responsibility on parents and teenagers.

"Meta is trying to show regulators we have a child safety system, we have parental controls and we're rolling it out across our platforms," he said.

"I think the big unanswered question is whether enough families will actually use it."

The minimum age to use WhatsApp is 13 in the UK, although it is higher in some countries.

According to the firm, parents will be able to adjust or switch off the controls at any time.

The settings will be "straightforward to set up" using a Pin set by a parent, which teens will need if they want to switch off the controls.

Some of the new privacy tools include selecting who can see a child's profile photo and who can add them to groups.

Parents can also choose how their teenager uses Channels, which allows organisations and public figures to send out content.

And they will have the option of choosing between the default 13+ setting for Meta AI, the app's optional built-in AI assistant, or a stricter "Limited Content" option.

"All of these controls are being designed to support open conversations about how to use WhatsApp between parents and teens, while keeping everyone's personal messages private," the company said.

The changes come as pressure mounts on tech companies from governments and regulators to change the way they operate in order to better protect children using their platforms.

In June, the government announced it plans to ban under-16s from social media platforms, with the restrictions expected to come into force in March 2027.

It said "highly effective age assurance" measures would be used to check the age of those using social media.

WhatsApp is currently excluded from the ban because the government considers it a messaging service.